Here With Me
by Ho Hey Contest
Summary: New home. New school. New friends. And Cullen. Leah Clearwater gets more than she bargained for senior year.
1. September

**The "Ho Hey" Contest**

**Story Title: Here With Me**

**Pen name: IdPattThat**

**Pairing: Edward/Leah**

**Rating: T**

**Word Count: 5,421**

* * *

**September**

Senior year was supposed to be easy.

It was supposed to be fun, with piece-of-cake classes and parties all the time.

Senior year wasn't supposed to be your idiot mother moving you off the Rez and into to a small town, because she'd married the fucking chief of police.

It was supposed to be hanging out on the beach with the Rez kids, and not having to drive half an hour to do so. Or having to be in the same school as your super-perky (and really fucking annoying) new stepsister.

I sighed as I though about what I was missing. I'd grown up on the Rez and had expected to graduate with all of my friends, until my mother married Charlie and moved me and my little brother to Forks. It wasn't that bad, and neither was Charlie, but it meant moving to a new school district and a huge change for me during one of the most important times of my life.

"Do you want me to show you to your classes?" Bella asked with a wide, perky smile, looking disgustingly adorable. I wondered if little Disney animals helped her dress every morning, or if that was only for special occasions like the first day of school.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples with my fingertips. Too early for murder, Leah.

"No. I'm going to walk around. Get to know the place," I lied. We already had to share a bathroom and a car, not to mention breakfast and pretty much every waking minute of every day.

"Okay!" she said brightly, making me wince. "I'll see you at lunch and introduce you to the crew."

"Can't hardly wait," I muttered, before turning away from her and adjusting my backpack on my shoulder. I walked through the hallways, glancing at the faces around me. I recognized some of them from the parties that Forks and La Push kids both frequented: beach bonfires, or empty fields that we'd hang out and get wasted in. There wasn't much else to do in small towns.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I sighed at the texts on the screen.

First period sucks without you. From Emily.

Miss seeing that sweet ass walk down the hall. That was Jacob.

I texted them both back quickly and stepped out of the main building into an open courtyard. Emily was my cousin and best friend and Jacob was, well…he was Jacob.

We'd been seeing each other for most of the summer. Though "seeing each other" really meant that we made out in the back of his beat-up old Rabbit or occasionally went to the movies in Port Angeles. He was cute and made me feel pretty, but I wasn't really looking for anything serious and I didn't think he was either. Our relationship was fairly innocent in that I hadn't let him feel me up under my clothes yet.

I had a little self-respect, after all.

"Watch out!" I heard, before a yank on my backpack made me stumble to a halt.

"Hands to yourself, creep!" I yelled, turning around with my fist raised.

"Whoa there, Rocky. Just trying to save you from falling on your pretty face," replied the boy with a crooked half-smile holding on to the strap of my backpack.

"Oh…thanks." I lowered my hand and let my eyes sweep over him: messy auburn hair, bright green eyes, and a strikingly clear complexion.

"You smoke?" he asked. I watched as he leaned against the building and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket, and then held it out to me.

"Sure." I shrugged and took one. "Menthols? What- did you steal this from your mother?"

He grinned, just one side of his pretty mouth curving up at the side, and the cigarette dangled between his lips.

"My grandmother, what's it to you?"

I laughed and bent my head toward the lit Zippo, lighting my cigarette and inhaling. Emily had taught me how to smoke when we were thirteen. It wasn't something I did a lot, but it always made me feel older and more mature.

He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when we heard yelling behind us.

"Cullen!"

"Uh oh," he muttered, dropping his half smoked cigarette and stepping on it. "Get rid of that."

I did the same and yelped in surprise when he pulled me tight against his side.

"Did I hear the bell ring?" A muscular blonde man in too-tight red gym shorts stalked toward us.

"Did it, Coach? I'm sorry. I was…distracted." I felt him shrug against me.

"It's the first day of school, Cullen. Don't make me give you detention." Coach rolled his eyes and turned his gaze on me. "You new here?"

"Uh…" I glanced between his knee-high tube socks and Cullen, who simply shrugged again. Apparently being evasive was his thing.

"Get to class, both of you," Coach barked.

Cullen smirked and picked up his backpack, then grabbed my hand and dragged me back toward the building.

"That was…interesting."

"Always is," he said as he shouldered his backpack and gave me a full-blown, blinding grin. "Have a good day, Leah."

I frowned and watched him walk away, wondering how the hell he even knew my name.


	2. October

**October**

"There you are!" Bella yelled, wavy brown hair bouncing like Slinkys as she ran to greet me at the door. She grinned and threw herself at me, so I had to wrap her in a hug and lift her off her feet.

"Edward!" she squealed, pretending to shove me away, but I knew she liked the attention. Anything to get anyone to notice her.

Of course, I was only trying to get the attention of one person. Bella quickly led me to the kitchen, where I found exactly who I was looking for going through the liquor cabinet.

"Cullen," Leah greeted me with a smirk, and gestured to the counter filled with various liquors. "What's your poison?"

"Ginger ale," I told her while I tried to ignore Bella's arm around my waist.

"No mixer?"

"I don't really feel comfortable drinking the chief of police's booze, to be honest," I laughed.

"Oh, come _on_. Daddy Swan won't even notice it's gone!" she cried. Bella nodded from my side, but before I could protest a hand clapped me on the shoulder.

"Cullen doesn't drink. It's below him," my best friend Jasper informed them. I gave him a nod of thanks, which he returned before pulling a giggling Bella away and out the back door.

"You don't drink? This has shattered my bad-boy image of you, Cullen. I don't know what to think right now."

I laughed and took the ginger ale she proffered. "What would happen to that image if I told you I had a 4.0 GPA?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Leah laughed and slammed her hand down. "Mister 'Maybe I'll Show My Pretty Face to Class _This_ Week' has a 4.0? I don't believe it."

I grinned and stepped closer to her. "You think I'm pretty?" Red flooded her cheeks and I resisted the urge to touch her.

"Did I say pretty? I meant _absolutely normal-looking face_," she tried to recover, but it was no use.

"Leah!"

She started at her name, her dark eyes going wide.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked whoever had just entered the kitchen behind me. I watched as a tall Native kid with dark hair swept past me and scooped her up before kissing her. She pushed him away quickly and glanced at me.

"Bells called me earlier and told me you guys were having a party," he explained with a grin. His teeth were too white and too straight. He reminded me of some male model and was definitely _not_ who I pictured Leah with.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess I forgot," she muttered, cheeks flaming red again, and turned back to me. "Jake this is Cullen. Cullen, this is my…boyfriend."

I raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything as I held out my hand to him. He smiled and shook it, and I fought the laughter that seemed to bubble up in my chest.

"Nice to meet you," I grinned. Leah narrowed her eyes at me and started pushing Jake out of the kitchen.

"Go find Bella, I'll be right out," she told him with a shove before turning back to me with a glare. "What are you grinning about?"

"He's like…the male version of Bella. Did you notice that?"

"Is not!" she yelled, sticking her hands on her hips. I almost expected her to stomp her foot.

"He is! He's all smiley and 'ooh, I puke sunshine and rainbows and little birds follow me around singing', isn't he?" I goaded her.

"Just because he's _nice_ doesn't mean anything, Cullen."

"What? And I'm not nice?" I feigned hurt and she flashed me a smirk.

"You? I haven't figured you out just yet," she said quietly with a step toward me.

"Better do it fast, beautiful," I returned, brushing my fingers across her cheek.

"You're trouble, Cullen. I know that much." Leah stepped away and grabbed her drink off the counter.

I laughed as she stalked out of the kitchen, really starting to enjoy the reactions I got from her.


	3. November

**November**

"Hey, Clearwater!" I heard my name and turned quickly, even though I knew the voice well. Ever since he'd called me beautiful at the party, it had pretty much haunted me. Every time he said my name, that night replayed over and over in my head: the way he smiled, how his eyes had burned into mine, how my insides seemed to turn over anytime he was around.

"What's up, Cullen?" I slowed my pace through the school parking lot and let him catch up with me. The wind blew his hair wild around his face and his cheeks and nose were pink like he'd been standing out here for a while.

"What are you doing today?"

"Uh, I'm going to school," I laughed and nodded toward the hulking building in front of us where kids were already milling about.

"How about you…don't."

"Don't?" I asked.

"Yeah. Don't go to school. Come with me instead." He shrugged and gave me a melt-your-insides type of smile, almost as if he knew I couldn't say no to it.

Which, of course, I couldn't. "And where are we going?" I turned back to the parking lot, following him to a silver sedan.

He shrugged and opened the door for me. "Wherever the wind takes us."

"How poetic of you. Imagine what you could do if you actually _went_ to class."

"You know, I'm a little flattered at how much you pay attention to my attendance." He smirked and started the car.

I felt my cheeks flush and turned to stare out the window. I swear, all I did was blush and say stupid shit around him. I kind of hated him for that.

Edward was silent as he drove, his fingers drumming along with whatever songs played on the radio. Eventually he pulled over at a little turnoff and turned to look at me.

"Here we are," he said with a small smile.

"Really, Cullen?" I raised my eyebrow at him and he nodded. He got out of the car and I followed him around to the trunk, watching as he opened it and pulled two Capri Suns and a couple granola bars from a cooler-sized lunchbox. "You come bearing kindergarten snacks?"

"I just didn't want to go to school today. Sue me," he shrugged, after slamming the trunk and holding his hand out to help me up.

I took his hand and let him pull me onto the trunk with him, immediately letting go when I'd settled myself. My skin tingled from the contact but I ignored it.

"So, what do you have against this day, anyways?" I nudged him with my shoulder and stabbed the straw into my juice.

"Ah…you don't want to know," he said quietly, fiddling with the aluminum packet in his hands.

"Well, then. What are you doing after graduation?"

"MIT," he answered nonchalantly.

"What? Really?"

"Don't look so surprised!" Cullen laughed and nudged me back. "I have dreams, you know."

"I just always assumed your dreams involved you hanging out in dark alleys bumming smokes and buying hookers."

He laughed at that, his head thrown back and his mouth stretched into a huge grin.

"I'm not one for hookers, just so you know," he replied with a wink. "I've always wanted to be an engineer, though."

"That's very cool, Cullen."

"Yeah, I guess. What about you?"

"I haven't heard back from any schools yet. My first choice is Stanford, but paying for it's going to be a bitch."

"Well, that's life," he said, shrugging. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

We were quiet after that, just listening to the cars pass by on the highway.

"It's been five years since my mom died. Five years today, I mean."

"Oh…" I trailed off and glanced at him. He stared at the space in front of him, jaw set tight and eyes dry.

My fingers twitched on my leg before they reached over and wrapped around his.

"I didn't really skip school. My dad called me in. We usually hang out, but he had an emergency at work and…I didn't really want to be alone."

He squeezed my hand and offered me a small smile. I found myself comforted by the fact that he wanted to spend the day with me.


	4. December

**December**

"It was really nice of your dad to let us have a party here, Edward," Lauren said sweetly as she twisted a strand of bleach-blonde hair around her finger.

Bella snorted dismissively from beside her. "As if his dad _knows_ he's throwing a party. He's at some annual conference in Dallas, genius," she told Lauren, who simply glared and flounced away.

"You are just the life of the party, aren't you, Swan?" I asked, smirking.

She stuck her tongue out at me and then frowned. "Sorry."

"Whatsamatter? Tell Uncle Edward your worries."

"No, you creep. You'll just blab to Leah or something," Bella grumbled and turned away from me.

"Leah? I would not." _I probably would, actually_. Ever since we'd skipped school together, the dynamic of our relationship had changed.

We were friends- as close as Jasper and I were, and _we'd_ been friends all our lives.

"I like this guy…"

"Who, Jas?"

"Fuck you, Cullen. Did you just guess?"

"Oh, honey. Honey, no," I laughed and pulled her into a one-armed embrace. "Baby girl, it is written all over your face."

"I hate you so fucking much right now, Edward."

"If it's any consolation you are totally the object of his wet dreams," I said with a grin, and her nose scrunched up in disgust.

"You're gross."

"I'm honest. Now, get out there and find him, you crazy kid." I smacked her on the ass and pushed her out of the kitchen. "It's New Year's Eve and you don't want him sucking face with Lauren, now do you?"

"Asshole!" she yelled but smiled as she sauntered away, pulling her top lower and her skirt higher.

"What was that all about?" Leah laughed. She perched herself on the counter and I made her a drink: Cherry Coke and vodka.

"Bella's in love with Jasper or something," I told her. Her eyes went wide and I laughed. "Oh, I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"You're horrible at secrets, you know," she mused, and I smiled.

"I bet I'd be pretty good at some."

"Don't get any ideas, Cullen."

"Where's your boyfriend? I thought he was coming, too," I changed the subject but it only earned me a glare.

"He's at a bonfire on First Beach."

"Oh? Didn't want to cross the tracks to hang out with you?"

"I guess not." She shrugged and sipped her drink through the crazy straw I'd given her.

"His loss," I said as I hoisted myself up on the counter with her.

"You think?" Her voice was quiet, but her question was loud. Did I think that it was his loss? Of fucking course.

"I really do."

I held her gaze for a long moment before she turned away, pretty cheeks flushed. Fuck, I loved when that happened.

"Edward," she said my name and turned to me. I was startled at first, because she hardly ever called me by my first name. I got over the surprise quickly when she wrapped her hand around the back of my neck and pulled me to her. Her lips met mine quickly, softly…not enough. She pulled away, stunned, like she couldn't believe what she'd done. I didn't give her much time to think about it before I pulled her back, pressing my lips to hers again. Harder this time, and she tilted her head and parted her lips, drawing me further in and making me want more.

"Hey, are you- _holy shit_!" Bella's outburst caused us to break apart. She grinned at us from the doorway before nodding slowly and making her way out of the kitchen softly singing "Bow-chicka-bow-wow."

"Fuck," Leah muttered and jumped down from the counter. "That can't happen, Cullen."

I frowned. "Why the hell not?"

"You_ know_ why!" she yelled and pushed me.

"I don't know why. Because of your boyfriend? He's not even here!"

"That doesn't mean that you can just do whatever you want!"

"_You_ kissed _me_!" I yelled back. She was quiet for a moment, her arms crossed over her chest while she fumed. "I'm sorry," I muttered. "You're right. It shouldn't have happened. It won't happen again."

"Do you want it to happen again?" she asked quietly. I raised my eyebrow at her, and she laughed before closing the distance between us. Her arms wrapped around my neck, her lips pressed to mine, fingers in my hair and body pushed against me.

Best. New Year's. Ever.


	5. January

**January**

"What's up with you two?" Jasper looked from me to Edward with an accusatory stare. It was three weeks after New Year's, but nothing had really changed between us.

Well, unless you counted making out in his car before school, or that one time I went over to his house to study (ha. "Study") and let him get to second base.

That, and the fact that we always seemed to be around each other. And that I was always smiling. Oh, and I'd broken up with Jake, who thankfully hadn't taken it very hard.

"Nothing," Edward replied with a slight glance in my direction. He stole one of Bella's French fries and lay back in the grass, but Jasper wasn't very convinced.

"Cullen, remember when we were seven and you broke my He-Man action figure?"

Edward opened one eye to glare at his best friend. "Uh huh."

"And then you told me like, five minutes after because you just couldn't keep in all that guilt?"

"I sure do," he replied.

"Just reminding you of that," Jasper said as solemnly as he could.

"You're a dick, Whitlock."

"Thank you and good day, sir."


	6. February

**February**

"What'd Jasper get me for Valentine's Day?" Bella appeared at my locker first thing Monday morning, looking frantic.

"I don't know," I shrugged, and tried to get my books out, but she stepped in front of me.

"I need to know if he got me something so I can get _him_ something."

"Bella, why in the everloving fuck does it matter?"

The hunted look in her eyes turned to a glare. "_Because_, Edward! I can't get him something really special if he didn't get _me_ anything, it will throw our entire relationship out of balance!"

I stared at her for a long moment before bursting out laughing. "Girls are fucking crazy." I wrapped her in a headlock and dragged her away from my locker. "Look, if you want to get Jas something, then do it. I suggest a nice bottle of Jim Beam. It'll just melt his little heart."

"You're such a jerk, Edward. I can't imagine what Leah sees in you," Bella retorted with narrowed eyes before she smoothed her hair and stalked away.

I grinned as I watched her walk away before turning to my own classroom. I didn't get very far before I ran into Leah. She tried to smile at me, but her eyes were red-rimmed and her cheeks were flushed.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head and wiped her eyes. "Nothing."

I frowned. "Be straight with me."

"I totally bombed my Calculus exam. My teacher gave me another chance, but it's so hard! f I can't pass, I don't graduate and I can kiss Stanford goodbye," Leah hiccupped and looked away from me.

"Come over and I'll help you study."

"Yeah, right. You know what happened last time I came over," she snorted and I felt my face warm.

"Well, yeah…I mean it though. I'll help you."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." I leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Just come home with me today. I might even keep my hands to myself."

She agreed, but pushed me away and headed to her next class. I smiled to myself as I made my way through the hallway, eager to help her…and to be alone with her again.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Leah asked as we settled at the dining room table after school.

"It's fine. My dad will be home soon, anyways," I told her. "You want something to drink?"

I brought her a bottle of water and pulled her chair closer to mine.

"I thought you were going to keep your hands to yourself," she said wryly. I held them up and grinned.

"I'm all about math, beautiful. For now anyways."

We worked until my dad came home, slamming the front door and calling, "Lucy, I'm home!"

Leah laughed and glanced at me.

"Am I Lucy in this scenario?" I frowned when he entered the dining room.

"I always _did_ want a daughter," he replied and mussed my hair. "Leah, lovely to see you again."

"Hi, Dr. Cullen," she mumbled to her math book.

"I trust Edward is behaving himself."

"_Dad_," I groaned and the two of them laughed together.

"Are you staying for dinner, Leah? It's Edward's night to cook."

"You cook?" she asked skeptically.

"You're really ruining my bad-boy image here, Dad!"

"I like it," Leah whispered. She leaned over to kiss my cheek and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, well…don't tell anyone."

"Your image is safe with me," she said softly but, as I stared at her for a long moment, I knew she meant more than that was safe with her.


	7. March

**March**

"Are you sure this is such a good idea, Leah?" Emily frowned at me over her giant bowl of ice cream.

"What? You eating all that Rocky Road? Probably not. Your ass is going to be huge by prom."

She wrinkled her nose, but set her spoon down. "When did you turn into such a raging bitch?"

"Oh, I'd say about the third grade," I grinned.

"I meant you and that Cullen kid. What do you have in common anyways?"

What did Edward and I have in common? Well, he was incredibly smart, had plenty of money, and awful taste in music. He drove me fucking crazy and sometimes I hated the sound of his voice but that only lasted for about five seconds before I came to my senses.

"We like each other." I shrugged, pulling the rest of her ice cream toward me.

"What about Jake?"

"What about him?"

"I heard he's pretty messed up about it. Thought you were the love of his life or something."

I scoffed. "Really? Because I saw him at the movies sucking face with some redhead…"

"Oh. Well, never mind then."

"Edward's really sweet. Besides, we just like hanging out. He's going to MIT in the fall and I'll be in California, and that will be the last of it."

"You don't want that to be the last of it, do you?"

"What? Em, don't be ridiculous," I muttered with an empty feeling in my stomach. "It's just high school."

She dropped the subject after that, but I was pretty sure we both knew it wasn't "just high school". Not for me, at least.


	8. April

**April**

"Keg coming through!" Jasper yelled as he stepped between me and Leah.

"Christ, this is a serious party, isn't it?" Leah glanced around the field where guys were setting up for a bonfire and girls were laying down blankets.

"It is, Leah. But I'm not sure just what Jesus has to do with it," Bella said, slinging her arm around my girl's shoulders and grinning at us.

"I don't know, but I know you'll be seeing _God_ later," Jasper not-so-quietly whispered as he passed by.

Leah pretended to vomit while Jasper dipped Bella in his arms and kissed her. I took the opportunity to pull Leah into my arms.

"You're mine tonight, Clearwater," I whispered before kissing her cheek.

"I like that idea," she replied, nuzzling my chin. "But we _do_ have to hang out with some of our other friends."

I groaned and pressed my lips to her neck, trying to persuade her.

"Cullen! It's like our last hurrah. You know we have to."

"But what if it's _our_ last hurrah, too?" I asked, suddenly feeling serious.

"It won't be," she said softly. Her fingers brushed my jaw and then tangled in my hair. "I promise it won't be."

"I'll be gone in June," I reminded her.

"And? We won't be that far apart…" She trailed off and bit her lip, while I tried not to smile.

"It's pretty far, beautiful."

"We'll have holidays and breaks, and and and _shit_. This is going to suck. I don't want to think about it."

"Okay. We won't think about it." I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her against me.

"We have to think about it, don't we?"

"Not today."

"Tomorrow?" she asked with a small voice.

"Not even then." I kissed her nose.

"You drive me crazy, Cullen."

"I'm pretty sure that's why you like me so much."

"I'm pretty sure you're right."


	9. May

**May**

"You want to go to prom with me?"

I nearly spit out my Diet Coke. "What?"

"Prom? Short for promenade. A formal dance, usually held at one's school, or-"

"Shut up, Cullen! Are you serious right now?" I punched him in the shoulder, and he winced.

"Well, I'm kind of serious." He frowned. "It's our senior year; don't you want to go to prom?"

"Prom is _two days_ _away_, Edward!"

"So?" He looked puzzled by my reaction.

"So you'd have to get a tux and I'd have to get a dress and you're such a _dick_!"

"I just asked you to prom, why am I a dick?"

"_Two days_ before! You can't ask a girl to go to prom with you two days before, Edward. You ask them months, or you give them some sort of idea that you _want_ to go with them."

"Of course I'd want to go with you." Edward tugged my hand pulled me closer to him. "Did you think I didn't want to?"

"I didn't think you wanted to go at all, so I didn't bring it up." I shrugged and rested my chin on his shoulder, still too pissed to look at him.

"Did you want to go?"

"I want to be with you. Prom or not." I let my arms wrap around his shoulders and pressed a kiss to his neck. "I didn't really want to go. I don't like the idea of having to share you with all of those people."

"Me either," he whispered, holding me close. As we got closer to graduation, we started to feel the pressure of what was going to happen to our relationship. Long distance was hard, and Edward and I weren't dreamers. We knew it would be difficult. We also wanted to try, though.

"So, no prom. Okay. We'll just have to think of something else to do." I pulled away and pinched his cheek, enjoying the way he glared at me.

"Like…each other?" He waggled his eyebrows and I giggled.

"I'll think about it," I told him, watching his bright green eyes light up at the thought of it.

"I hope you will."

"You're such a perv, Cullen." I shook my head but kissed him anyways.

"I am." He grinned and nodded.

"I kind of love that about you."

"I kind of love you," Edward replied. My arms fell from around him as my jaw dropped. "I mean, I don't kind of love you. I do. Love you, that is."

I felt my eyes well up with tears before I threw my arms around him again. "I kind of love you, too."


	10. June

**June**

"Are you all set, son?" Dad asked as he picked up my duffle bag. I nodded and took a glance around our living room with a heavy heart.

It had been my home for all my life: my mother's home. Dad and I talked about her as much as we could. At first it was hard, but lately she'd been the topic of many conversations. How proud she'd be of me. How much she loved me. How much she'd like Leah and how happy she'd be that I found someone like her.

"Hey," Leah said softly from behind me.

"Speak of the devil," I muttered and she quirked an eyebrow at me. "I was thinking about you."

"Only good things, I hope." She gave me a sad smile and I held out my hand. Leah came to me quickly and buried herself in my arms.

"Always, beautiful."

"All right, asshole. Let's get this show on the road!" Jasper yelled from my front door.

"Jasper, always a pleasure," Dad muttered and clapped him on the shoulder while giving me an incredulous look. I laughed and stepped away from Leah.

"I'll be out in a few." I nodded to them and felt Leah squeeze my fingers gently.

"So, this is it, huh?" Dad smiled sadly at me.

"You'll be out next week, right?"

"Of course I will," he said, blinking furiously.

"Dad…c'mon." I half-laughed and stepped forward. He hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek.

"I'm so very proud of you, Edward."

"Thank you," I whispered. We stood there for a long moment, until I finally managed to pull away.

"Call me when you land."

"I will," I told him as I walked backwards down the front steps. "I love you."

"I love you, son." He smiled and closed the front door as I slid into the backseat of Jasper's car with Leah. Bella grinned from the front and handed me a box of tissues.

"Baby want a tissue?"

"I would, but I'm scared to ask why Jasper has tissues in his car."

"It's not what you're thinking, bro," Jasper retorted, shaking his head.

"Oh, no?" Leah asked, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

"Nah, man. It's to clean up when Bella gives me hand jobs."

"Dude," I groaned and rubbed my hand over my face. Bella slapped him, but Leah just took my hand in hers and rested her head on my shoulder. The ride to Seattle was entertaining to say the least.

Bella sang loudly and Jasper told dirty jokes, but Leah and I just _were. _

When we got to the airport, I said goodbye to Jasper and Bella at the drop-off ramp, and they promised to drive around until Leah texted them to pick her up. She grasped my hand as we walked through the airport until I reached my terminal.

"I'll see you at Thanksgiving," I whispered to her hair as I held her tightly.

She let out a shuddery breath and nodded against my shoulder.

"Don't forget about me," she whispered back.

"Like that could ever happen." I tipped her chin up and wiped her tears away. "I belong with you," I said before kissing her gently.

Leah closed her eyes and rested her cheek against mine. "It's only the beginning, right?"

"Only the beginning," I repeated.

She pushed me away and wrapped her arms around herself. "Get on your plane, Cullen."

"Hey, Leah?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't bum any smokes from weird guys hanging out behind buildings, okay?"

"I learned my lesson doing that," she said with a smirk.

I grinned. "I'll see you. I kind of love you."

"I kind of love you, too."


End file.
